Just Friends
by SectumsempraSev
Summary: HGSS It begins with a humuorous detenion and ends in terror. With the help of Severus will Hermione overcome it! Please RR
1. Chapter 1

Hermione sat on into her usual potions seat sighing. How had it come to this, she thought, she was now so embarrassed in class that she messed everything up and dropped all of Professor Snape's equipment. The amount of beakers she had broken in the last month had to be more than double the amount she had broken over the whole seven years she had been studying at Hogwarts.

She thoroughly blamed Neville, he was her partner in potions and ever since she had drunkenly, and mistakenly, kissed him at the last Christmas Ball, after a mishap with Fred and George spiking the punch when they had returned to Hogwarts to meet with Professor Dumbledore, she had not been able to concentrate in the least around him. What made matters worse was everyone knew why, everybody knew that she had kissed Neville Longbottom and worst of all so did Professor Snape.

"Miss Granger, would you kindly desist you're daydreaming over Longbottom," smirked Professor Snape, who obviously knew full well that she did not fancy Neville in the slightest, "Miss Granger this is the third time this week I have caught you drooling into your cauldron I think perhaps a little detention would put your mind back on task, be here prompt after dinner wearing something suitable to clean in."

He stressed the last to words with an evil sneer on his face. "Right, class dismissed," he barked and the class shot out of their seats and exited the potions lab as fast as they could.

Hermione packed away her work with a bright pink face never before had she been so embarrassed just as she was about walk out of the door she felt a hand spinning her round. She turned to find Snape stood directly behind her so close that she could feel his eyes bore through her and feel the warmth of his breath over her face, scared the room started to spin slightly as he whispered to her.

"And Miss Granger I _will_ know if you do not come here straight after dinner." And at this point she would be willing to bet he would.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hi thanks to everyone that reviewed my last chapter, her is the next chapter, happy reading, R+R please._

After eating dinner Hermione returned to her dorm in order to get changed. Having being appointed Head Girl she now had her own room complete with a bed, a wardrobe, a desk, a fireplace but best of all her own personal bookcase. She made good use of everything in room but especially her bookcase; it was near to overflowing. It was perfect for her to have somewhere in order to do her work without the boys distracting her or first years asking her pointless questions, she did enjoy helping them and would do anything to assist a student in need but sometimes it just all got too much, and sometimes it was good just to be able to sit back and relax while she lost herself in another world while reading book.

Picking out some clothes she did not mind getting covered in muck which knowing Snape would some horrible substance that would mean she would not ever want to wear them again but still kept her warm as it was always cold in the dungeons and she would not put it past Snape to keep her their until late that night. She grabbed her bag and hurriedly speed off to the dungeons.

She ran down the stairs hoping she wouldn't be late and knocked on the door.

"Enter," barked Professor Snape in his usual cutting tone as she made her way through the door, "Put your bag on my desk and your wand you won't be needing it today and actually take off that jacket as well it will just get in the way," continued Snape as Hermione struggled to take off her jacket, "Come on be quick about it, finally as challenging as that seems to have been for you Granger I'm sure I have something much worse. Follow me."

She watched as Professor glided over to his store cupboard and disappeared into it, she quickly followed not wanting to infuriate him further.

"Right, tonight Miss Granger because your apparent lack of it you are going to do something which will require high concentration, I want you to take a count of all the supplies I have left and to reorganise them. Begin," announced Professor Snape.

She bit back a retort as he stalked back out to sit at his desk to mark his papers. The bastard knew that it was because of Neville she was not concentrating, she also swore it was for his pure amusement at watching her squirm that he left her there. Yet he still had the nerve to give her detention for it, then just to make things worse he gave her a detention that would probably force her to be here until midnight. After a good five minutes of sulking she thought she had better get on with things.

Six hours later and she was still there and she was been driven to distraction by Snape not only was she sure he was laughing at her but he was tapping his quill continually on his desk. She had, however, taken all but one of the stocks.

Standing on the tips of her toes she reached upwards as high as she could but to no avail, scanning around the tiny store cupboard she spotted a set of step ladders. After putting them up she climbed to the top of them, they were quite unstable on the dungeon floor but she was so tired, it was after all it was two in the morning, she could not care less. She leant forwards straining to reach the last container at the back of the top shelf, the ladders wobbled precariously on the uneven floor but she was determined to reach it.

Suddenly, the ladders gave way underneath her and she plunged towards the floor, grimacing knowing the hard floor that awaited her. She waited for the sickening crack of her head hitting the floor but it never came and she was surprised to find a strong warm arm wrapped around her stomach and another gripping her hand. Feeling herself being gently lowered so her feet could touch the floor then gasping as she realised that it was Professor Snape who had caught her.

She twirled around to find him looking quite amused but also quite shocked; she thought he looked like he could not believe what he had just done almost as much as she had. He blushed then quickly turned away and headed back to go out the store cupboard. Pushing down on the handle of the door, which had been slammed shut when had come to catch her, he found that it wouldn't open. Scowling he pushed harder, then he proceeded to throwing his shoulder at the door in an effort to open it.

"Miss Granger, I think we may have a problem," Professor Snape said bitterly.


	3. Chapter 3

"Please tell me you are joking," Hermione shrieked.

"Oh yea because I frequently make jokes about being stuck in cupboard with an annoying little brat!" retorted Snape.

Running towards the door in near hysterics Hermione shouted, "Why the bloody hell did you slam the door."

"Well I am sorry Miss Granger but I was rather preoccupied with the fact that you're to stupid to even use a ladder."

"Five seconds, surely you can use magic to blast the door open," exclaimed Hermione.

"Well, yes, I could have had I not left me wand on my desk."

"Why the bloody hell did you leave it there?"

"Well as you were falling off that bloody ladder and you risked breaking some of my supplies I sort of came in a rush."

"So you are telling me that I am stuck in this cupboard with _you_ until someone comes to let us out. This is so ridiculous, it's all you fault if you had not given me this detention in the first place."

"I would not of, had you not been so busy drooling over Neville," Snape said with evil glint in his eye.

"You know fine well that I DO NOT FANCY NEVILLE, YOU KNOW I WAS DRUNK!" said Hermione as she slid her back down the firmly jammed door.

Silence fell over the room after Hermione's outburst…

3 hours later it was cold and dark and Hermione's bum had gone thoroughly numb. Looking next to her she saw Professor Snape sat, perfectly still but as wide-awake as she was. He seemed to be staring out into the darkness of the small room and to be lost in thought. It had been hours since either of them had talked. Staring down she realised that he was wearing his cloak still; she would give anything to have hers because she was so bloody cold. Without noticing it she had began to shiver violent as if her body had suddenly processed the fact that it was only about four degrees in there.

Snape, however had noticed, to be honest he did not even think the girl was awake anymore he had not bothered to check, he had been so surprised at her sudden outburst he had not thought she would have the gall. In fact she has to be the first student to ever shout back at him, he would never of expected it off a girl and least of all of her. She was, even though it pained him to admit it especially since she was Gryffindor, his favourite student. She was competent in his subject; she was almost as enthusiastic about it as he was and she was always polite to him nice even, which was much more than he got from most people even those in the order.

He had expected things to change after the defeat of Voldemort. They had not however even though he had been revealed to the wizarding world as a hero and a spy for the order even though he had taken hundreds of rounds of cruico to help defeat the dark lord even though in the final battle he had been beaten nearly to death by Lucius. He had been saved at the least minute and revived by someone; to this day he still didn't know whom.

That was part of the reason he was so annoyed with Hermione though. She had brilliant talents that are going to waste all because she was so regretful of a drunken action. He did not really know why he had blushed when he had caught Hermione from falling off the ladder, perhaps it was the fact it was the only woman he had touched in about five years, even though he knew he was only doing his job.

Suddenly, Hermione's shivering brought him to the real world. Crap what should he do he cannot leave her to freeze, surely Dumbledore would tell him off for that. But he really did not want the girl to know he cared for her, he had all ready caught her from what would have been a painful accident. No he would just let her be cold, she would be fine, but then next to him he felt Hermione shiver violently and he felt incredible guilty. He was actually quite warm; he had spent one to many nights sleeping rough outside when he was working for Voldemort to be particularly bothered by the cold, also the fact that he spent most of his time in the dungeons. He was now numbed to the cold if you excuse the pun.

Looking to the left he noticed that she actually looked a little blue around the lips, that was enough to force him to give over to his kind hearted side, evidently a side no one ever saw but it still existed.

"Miss Granger, I think perhaps you should take my cloak,"

"No-oo s-ssi-r I'm fff-ine," Hermione stuttered back.

"You are obviously freezing, your slightly blue, now do not make me have to take points of Gryffindor before you will take it," said Snape as he removed the cloak and thrust it into Hermione's arms.

Hermione looked down at the cloak in her arms and marvelled at how soft and warm it was. Throwing it over her legs and around her shoulders she felt overcome with a wave of warmth accompanied by a male smell, almost like musk and spices, it smelt nice. She pulled the cloak up to her nose and breathed in deeply, it relaxed her a lot and she rested more comfortably against the door. Then suddenly she realised that this was Professor Snape's cloak and that the smell she liked so much was his smell, blushing violently she dropped the cloak back down to her shoulders.

"So, Miss Granger do you fancy telling me what happened between you and Neville, think of it as an exchange for the coat."

Thanks for reading please R R. S x 


	4. Chapter 4

Turning round Hermione looked into Snape's eyes, she saw amusement dancing through them but also genuine interest, seeing this she decided perhaps it was a fair exchange after all.

"Well," Hermione started, " It all began with the Christmas ball, everything was going fine I was actually having a good time. I normally hate going to balls you see,"

"Yes, Miss Granger I did not ever see you as a girl who would dance, to be honest I loath balls them myself," muttered Snape.

"Anyway Professor Dumbledore made the mistake of inviting Fred and George here during the ball and, the Weasley twins being ones never to miss a trick, spiked the punch. I did not realise, I got amazingly drunk, so drunk I kissed _Neville_, I mean of all the people," Hermione shuddered. But then added "I had thought as much about you loathing balls, the look on your face during ball are priceless. I do remember one brilliant event from a past Christmas with _Professor _Trelawney and some mistletoe."

"Yes, sadly so do I, I regard that as my worst ever Christmas well except the one where I nearly died…" articulated Snape.

Looking up, Hermione stared out of the bars of the small window as the moonlight poured through. She did realise Snape had had a hard life but she did not think she knew the extent of how bad it was. Deep in thought she remembered one of things that had been really worrying her since the end of the war, she seemed to have forgotten about 3 hours of the day of the war. None of her friends could place where she had been during the climax of the battle, she had even asked Dumbledore but it had been to no avail. The last thing she can remember is a fleeting glimpse of Snape; he was defiantly what stuck out vividly in her mind. She had run through the day countless times in her head she could remember seeing Snape then everything goes hazy and then about 3 hours later she runs towards Harry and hugs him while he tells her that Voldemort is dead.

It had been driving her mad for months and now she finally seemed to have a chance to ask Snape if he could remember anything about it she just had to work up the courage.

"Sir," she began.

Sighing Snape said "Yes Miss Granger."

"Well, sir, you see, well ermm… do you buy any chance know where I was at the end of battle?" Hermione questioned.

"No, Miss Granger I do not, why would I want to know where you were I was considerably busy not getting myself killed while still allowing 'The-Boy-Who-Helped-Out' to finish off Voldemort," Snape snapped " Out of shire morbid curiosity Miss Granger why do you ask?"

"Well the thing is, sir, I do not remember."

"What do you mean '_you do not remember' _of course you remember what happened."

"No that is just the problem I do not. I have tried everything to recall what happened and I am really starting to worry I mean what if something awful happened to me," said Hermione as her eyes began to fill with tears, "I have gone through that day countless times in my head and nothing I do seems to unlock the darkness that is holding my recollection of what happened."

"As _interesting_ as that is Miss Granger what does it have to do with me?" pushed Snape.

"Well, sir, the last thing I remember is erm…you sir," said Hermione blushing violently.

Snape froze and his face turned even paler than its natural luminous white alabaster tone. The truth was that he too did not remember what had happened during the last few hours of the battle however he had thought that was because of the injuries he had obtained off Malfoy but now Granger had said she was experiencing the same unsettlingly darkness over the same period of time. Should he tell the girl or just advise her not to worry. He did not feel, however, he could leave the girl to wonder if something horrible had happened sometimes your imagination is worse than the truth, he knew that first hand.

"Miss Granger, I'm afraid I have something to confess, I can't remember what happened either," said Snape as he continued to stare absently into the darkness.

Hermione gasped.

"Miss Granger, there is something we can do, take my hands," Snape said stiffly.

"Pardon…" stuttered Hermione.

"Yes, Granger you heard me right take hold of my hands and then I will explain"

Looking down, Hermione stared at her potions master's hands; she noted that they were very elegant before she cautiously took them in here own. A sudden warmth covered her hands and she looked down in shock she had previously thought her potions master was likely to be as cold as his personality but it seemed he was rather the opposite.

"Yes Miss Granger my hands are very warm," stated Snape as if he had read her mind, thinking about it he probably had she knew he was very apt at occlumency, " Right Miss Granger I need you to look into my eyes."

Hermione looked upwards and looked deep into her professors' eyes, they were like abyss in which her mind could swim; she had looked Snape in the eyes before but never anything like this.

"Right now I want you to concentrate very hard on the day of the battle and I'm going to see if I can take us there, two people who share a memory that has been lost can recover it if they help each other. You cannot break eye contact with me once we have started, are you ready," Hermione nodded, "Good let us begin."

AN: Hi thanks for reading hope you like it and that it's not boring xD Sallyx


	5. Chapter 5

**Part One**

**AN: This chapter is mainly a memory: the memory bits will all be in italics and anything Snape or Hermione do will be in normal type Thanks xD Enjoy** **R+R and thanks to everyone who has reviewed the last chapter xD the more reviews I get the more motivated I am to write more, faster.**

As Hermione's stared directly into Snape's eyes, she felt his hands close tighter around hers and felt her mind start to slip away from her body as if she was entering a pensive. She felt a tug around her navel, the room started to spin and she was back on that fateful day.

Hermione looked around and saw Snape standing next to her, it was exactly like being in a pensive she could see the battle was in motion but knew that no-one could see or hear her. The worst part was that she was watching people, people who she loved and cared about, being hurt or killed and knowing that she can only watch able to do nothing.

_Curses were flying everywhere and the air was thick with coarse cries while the sunset over Hogwarts, as the sun shone through the autumn leaves it cast a red light that spread over the field like blood. Bodies moved together, good verses evil, Death Eaters verse The Order, and Harry verses Voldemort. All dancing the dance of death._

_The bodies of death eaters were strewn over the field disregarded by their own team mates expect for one mother crying over her son, Draco's body as he lay bleeding for betraying the Death Eaters. As she sat weeping at her son's pain her husband, Lucius, grabbed her by her long silky hair and yanked her upwards._

"_You should be glad he is dying, he is no son of mine, he is traitorous scum," spat Lucius as he kicked his dying son in the ribs. Draco's limp form rolled over and whilst a stream of blood silently poured out his mouth._

"_He is your son you animal! How can you stand by the Dark Lord when he has done this to our child," cried Narcissa as she looked down to her son's mangled torso. After being tortured with many rounds or cruico and sectumsempra, his body was weak and his skin gaped open, so deep in parts you could see the bones. He could not even rest well, everything few minutes he kept fitting with after effects of repeated Cruios._

_"Lucius, leave him please, Dumbledore has offered to protect us. Even to stop us from going to Azkaban, he said that Draco wanted us to fight for The Order too. Please. Lucius I love you, I don't want to have to leave you," Narcissa begged._

"_Never," screamed Lucius as he ran away back into the heart of the battle._

_Narcissa bawled as she and her son were floated gently inside of Hogwarts by Minerva and Dumbledore, who both wore a look of pity acorss the weary faces._

"Right Miss Granger I fear we may be about to find out what happened that day."

Grabbing her by the hand, he grabbed her off towards the forbidden forest Taking by the end Snape dragged her towards the forbidden forest.

"Right Miss Granger I know that this is where Lucius beat me. If anything is going to happen to the both of us it has to be here."

_Snape was running through the forest as fast as he could he had to help in the battle. After escaping from the clutches of Crabbe and Goyle Senior after Voldemort had left him with them in order to let Voldemort serve his torture on Snape for betraying him. However in his haste to leave for the battle he had left him with those incompetent fools and now his was free. Just as he was about to reach the clearing to that would lead to the main field he felt a hand roughly grab his shoulder._

_"How could you, I thought we were in this together."_

_Oh gosh. Lucius. Surely, the best way to get out of this is to 'blag'._

_"Lucius this betrayal it is not real. It is all a set up, it is not real I am just trying to win the trust of the other side. So at the last minute I can strike Potter from behind"_

_"Do not lie to me. I know the Dark Lord told me he had seen everything, told me he had seen your plan, that you planned to betray us right from the start. Severus your like a brother to me why did you have to make me do this."_

_Snape new time was running out and if he was going to be able to help in the battle he was going to have to act fast, "Lucius I have to go, I have to go fight."_

_"You are not going anywhere."_

_At this Snape began to run away as fast as he could towards the edge of the forest, however not fast enough._

_"I said your not going anywhere. First my son now you who else is going to betray me," screamed Lucius in outrage as he violently grabbed Snape by the wrist._

_"Lucius remove your hand from me or I will be forced to do something I will regret," said Snape as his hand made it's way down into the pocket of his robes and tightly grasped his wand._

_"Turn your wand on me will you, I knew it you are a traitor. Cruico!"_

_Snape remained standing._

_"Lucius you are weak, how can you possible think you can oppose me."_

_"Cruico," Lucius repeated._

_Still Snape stood._

_"Your as weak as your master, your a pitiful excuse of a man and of a wizard Lucius. You were born a parasite and you will die a parasite and only your portrait will mourn you. I hate you Lucius," mocked Snape._

_He hated himself for having to insult Lucius like this he did hate but loved him like a brother as well. He had been there at a time when no one else had._

_"Accio wand. You never did know when to keep your mouth shut did you Snivelluis. Cruico. Cruico Maximus. Sectumsempra," Lucius chanted off the spells one after the other._

_Snape fell to his knees as blood poured from the gash."Fight like a man, Lucius, not a coward. Give me my wand and we will fight this like real men."_

_"No Severus I am not stupid I know you will win and you might just kill me and that is a chance I am not willing to take. Petrificus Totalus. Now then Snape are you going to take this like a man or not?" bit Lucius as he aimed a swift kick into to Snape's stomach. Taking out all of his frustrations, Lucius continued to beat Snape to a pulp. Removing the spell he grabbed him by the hair._

_"__Now Snape you are going to die, what a pitiful death for such a great wizard you always were better than me but that doesn't even matter in the end does it," Lucius snarled into Snape's face._

_"Avada Kerderva." _

_The body slouched and hit the ground.  
_


End file.
